With symptoms that can include extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, weakness, and even jaundice, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a distressing disease and one that often goes unnoticed until an abnormal liver or blood test is produced.
This disease can also lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease. If you already have diabetes, NAFLD can increase your risk of heart problems and according to a new study, this condition is soaring in prevalence with cases more than doubling 30 years.
“Human foie-gras”
This condition is often dubbed “human foie gras” because it occurs in much the same way that foie gras is produced. If you’re not familiar with the production of foie gras, it’s a controversial method of producing fatty liver in ducks and geese.
It involves the animals being pipe-fed up to four pounds of grain and fat into their stomach. They’re also prevented from much movement or exercise. This ensures that their livers grow abnormally fat and once the animals have been slaughtered, their livers are served as a delicacy. Lovely.
While that is quite graphic, it’s a surprisingly astute depiction of how this disease is created in humans, and how it can quickly develop into something really quite concerning. What’s more, a third of adults are thought to have developed the disease.
While this condition doesn’t always develop into anything more serious, it is recommended that people diagnosed with it or those that may be at risk of developing it make healthier lifestyle and diet choices to prevent the disease forming or developing over time.
How To Prevent NAFLD
According to NHS Inform, you can prevent and treat NAFLD by making the following changes:
- Eat a healthy diet – try to have a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, protein and carbohydrates, but low in fat, sugar and salt. Eating smaller portions of food can help too.
- Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as walking or cycling, a week. All types of exercise can help improve NAFLD, even if you don’t lose weight.
- Stop smoking – if you smoke, stopping can help reduce your risk of problems such as heart attacks and strokes.